


Creature of the Night

by nicefinalbeam (sparkleboom)



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Aiba is a genius, Alternate Universe - Office, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Co-workers, Fluff, Humor, Jun's quirks, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Nino's many nicknames for Jun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25396186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkleboom/pseuds/nicefinalbeam
Summary: Nino works the night shift with the eccentric Matsumoto Jun. He's hot, he's kind, and he's... something else.
Relationships: Matsumoto Jun/Ninomiya Kazunari
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24
Collections: Ninomiya Exchange





	Creature of the Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mikunicchi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikunicchi/gifts).



"JUN-PON!"

Nino waved his arms enthusiastically above his head, attempting to get the attention of the man at the desk positioned in the far corner. It didn't have a window, but it had a level of privacy that Nino envied. He worked the night shift and hardly anyone else was on this floor besides Jun, but still. It would be nice to watch Twitch or YouTube when things were slow without the threat of a random passer-by catching him in the act.

Jun looked up from his computer screen, his eyebrows dark and strong enough that Nino could see them raise in question easily from a distance.

**What do you want?**

Nino shook his head as the internal work chat message popped up on his screen. Fine then. He could talk this way.

_**I saw your story on IG** _

**And?**

_**How to tie a cravat? Really?** _

**Someone asked! It's fashionable.**

_**Will you be featuring how to fasten your pocket watch next?** _

**No.**

**_How to clean your monocle? How to swish a cape?_ **

Nino was startled by his neighbor's pen cup falling over, several writing utensils scattering loudly across the desk and onto the floor. It must have been the result of whatever projectile Jun had just launched in his direction. Nino cursed softly, pushed back in his chair, then dropped to his hands and knees to pick up the mess.

He wasn't surprised to hear Jun's footsteps headed over, smirking to himself when the other man kneeled down beside him to help. Jun looked more sheepish than satisfied when Nino acknowledged him. It was cute, adorable even. Nino felt that familiar warmth of _I like him_ spark in his chest. That had been a thing recently.

Nino didn't blame himself for being taken in by him. Not when Jun looked like he'd tumbled out of a fairytale with princely good looks, and was still enough of a dork to get Nino's manga references.

"A bit dramatic, don't you think?"

"Well, telling you to shut up rarely works," Jun responded.

"That's because I know you don't really want me to," Nino countered.

Jun snorted at that, but didn't contradict him. He scooped up a few mechanical pencils next to Nino's thigh. Nino couldn't help but notice the slight tremble of his fingers as he did so.

"Why are you always so freezing? Is it because you refuse to keep any of your body fat?" Nino teased.

Jun looked flustered at the question, answering quickly, "Maintenance won't up the temperature in here! I only asked for one degree higher. It shouldn't be that hard."

Nino lifted himself back up on his feet and gave Jun a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Us night folk are made to suffer," he empathized, "You could always ask to switch desks and sit beside me?"

"How would that help?"

"Shared body heat, obviously," Nino replied and kept his hand on Jun's upper arm, supporting him as he made to stand.

It was flirtatious, he knew, but he'd been trying to feel things out carefully. At times it really appeared as if Jun had an interest in him. Said things that made Nino's heart skip a beat, looked at him a way that sent shivers down his spine. But then Nino would be reminded that Jun was a genuinely nice person, and nice people were usually unaware of how truly rare they were. What felt like special attention might be completely unintentional on Jun's part.

Unnerved by Jun's lack of response, Nino searched for a way out of the awkwardness he imagined settling around them. His eyes locked on a stress ball on the floor a few feet away.

He pointed at it and asked loudly, "Is that what you threw at me?"

Jun nodded in confirmation, a smug smile tugging at his lips before he said, "It's soft."

"That's supposed to help you relieve stress," Nino reminded.

"I know. I'd say it helped."

"Very funny."

Nino wouldn't say he'd disliked Jun at first, but he'd been a little wary of him. Probably because one night in Nino's second week on the job, Jun had arrived wearing the exact same suit Nino had seen him in the day before. He wouldn't have thought much of it, not one to judge someone for saving money and rejecting the call of the material world, but Jun had been the one to speak up about it.

"I didn't go home," he had explained, unnecessarily on the defensive, "There was so much to do and if I'd bothered to leave I honestly would have gotten less rest than just crashing in the basement."

They had worked overtime the night before, the sun already starting to rise as they were wrapping up. But Nino hadn't realized Jun didn't walk out the door right behind him. He would have stayed and helped had he known there was that much more to complete.

"Where exactly did you crash?" Nino had asked. He hadn't had an opportunity to explore the rest of the building at that time, too busy getting used to his new arrangement in general.

"There's an employee lounge area down there. I just claimed a sofa," Jun had answered nonchalantly.

No big deal. Just sleeping in the employee lounge area like you do.

It had been an intimidating encounter, if only because Nino considered himself a hard worker, but not _that_ committed to his job. If that was the expected level of performance all the time, he wouldn't have made it much longer at the company.

But it turned out that was just one of Jun's particular quirks. There had been a few more instances of Jun choosing to stay behind once the clock went past a certain hour. Nino would much rather go home for a bit, even with less sleep, but to each their own.

Nino brought him a blanket the first time Jun called him 'Nino' instead of 'Ninomiya-san', a small token of friendship.

Jun might have been the first person Nino had ever met who became more mysterious and alluring the better Nino got to know him. For example, Jun hated to drink water that wasn't room temperature for some inexplicable reason. He had a personal hairstylist that visited his home on the weekend and helped maintain his look because Jun said trying to do it himself in a mirror was 'troublesome'. He was also apparently disliked by animals, in spite of his gentle nature.

Then there was the movie thing.

" _Do you still want death or is this enough?_ " Jun suddenly recited to himself in English.

Nino had no idea what it meant, but it sounded creepy. He recognized the word _death_ and it wasn't something he thought was needed for a business call.

The first time Jun had gone into 'acting mode', Nino had been honestly prepared to call their boss, Sho, and ask him to evaluate Jun's mental state. It had been a kind of stressful week, after all, and Jun pushed himself harder than anybody. But then Jun had explained that it was his fun, unique way of practicing English. Apparently he'd originally started to learn English by watching American films and television. Since Jun was the one that handled the English speaking clients in the US, Nino let it slide.

Even if it was really, really weird sometimes to watch him mumble to himself dramatically before Skype calls to Boston.

" _No one could resist me, not even you, Louis._ "

"What the heck are you on about?" Nino called out to him, caving to his distraction.

Jun took a swig from his antioxidant water bottle and then grinned.

"Tom Cruise!" he answered enthusiastically, "It's from a movie with him and Brad Pitt."

Nino should have known. Jun really seemed to admire the big time movie stars. Nino personally thought he could hold his own against them. He looked like a walking daydream. A Japanese Brad Pitt, at least in Nino's opinion.

"Don't you think it's about time you studied English too?" Jun asked.

Nino watched Jun abandon his chair for a stretch break. He raised his arms over his head and started pulling at his elbows. He was flexible, then. Good to know.

"Why bother when you already take care of things so perfectly, Matsumo-chan?" Nino replied cutely, squinting his eyes and crinkling up his nose for good measure.

"You're insufferable."

Nino refrained from telling Jun that as a masochist, that probably suited him just fine. It was speculation on Nino's part, of course. But the man did seem to enjoy a bit of hardship.

"Get back to work and stop distracting me with how weird you are," Nino demanded playfully.

"Says the man with a framed picture of a video game character on his desk," Jun retorted easily.

Nino treasured moments like this, when someone could keep up with him. Jun may not have been the only one who could, but he was the one Nino thought about when he closed his eyes to sleep at the end of the day.

Jun could appear cold or aloof to others, but Nino had learned the man was simply shy about meeting new people. Once he felt comfortable he was actually quite social. Nino had heard several stories about an extensive friend circle he spent his time with on his nights off.

He was also incredibly thoughtful. He often worried about Nino's lack of vitamin D intake from little sun exposure and offered him fruit chew supplements for his health. Even though Nino had told him several times he didn't mind listening to The Beatles while they worked, Jun never turned up without headphones. Nino couldn't count the number of times Jun had made small gestures, disguised as "making up for Nino's laziness" by bringing him papers from the printer or the reheated cup of tea he'd forgotten in the break room microwave.

Sometimes Nino couldn't remember even putting one in the microwave, and he had begun to suspect that Jun was brewing him fresh cups when he didn't have time to make them himself.

One thing Nino loved about Jun the most was his commitment to routine. Nino could sometimes get lost in his projects, especially when a stressful deadline approached. When he'd worked the night shift alone at his last place of employment, there were several times he'd either forgotten to eat or completely failed to bring something with him to the office. His trusty desk drawer of instant noodles had been a frequent lifesaver. Now he'd become a part of Jun's daily schedule, and that meant never going hungry. At 11:30 PM each evening, Jun would pull up the menu of one of their favorite nearby eateries that had a late delivery window. Nino found himself eagerly looking forward to their midnight lunches.

Even if Jun liked to order him a side of vegetables without asking and pretend the meal just came that way.

"Garlic is stinky, but it's in basically everything good," Nino argued one night as Jun dramatically waved a hand in front of his own nose.

"If it's so important, why does it always have something else with it? It's always garlic and onion or garlic and soy," Jun pointed out, still frowning at Nino's gyoza from across the break room table.

"This conversation is boring," Nino spoke, covering his mouth as he chewed.

"No, garlic is boring. Try fennel sometime. Cumin. Coriander!"

Nino tossed his head back in a laugh at what he figured was Jun's snobbery at play. Jun said he wasn't allergic to garlic when Nino had asked, so obviously this was something more about personal taste. Or maybe he'd read somewhere that garlic would block your pores and attack your metabolism or something. It wouldn't be the first time Nino had watched him try out some dietary fad Nino couldn't understand. The hot butter coffee had been particularly gross, at least in Nino's opinion.

He pursed his lips together and huffed out a breath in Jun's direction, laughing again when the man physically recoiled.

"Look, J, if it bothers you so much? I won't kiss you," Nino promised.

He waited a second before adding, "Much."

It was a risky comment, but it was worth it for the way Jun's face lit up as if against his will. He looked hopelessly fond before stomping off to get Nino a breath mint.

Nino had kept the persistent, fluttery feelings to himself for a while, not trusting them to be anything more than temporary infatuation. He knew there wasn't any danger in harboring a crush, especially since they confided in each other about many things, including the difficulty of being single in their 30s. When months passed and his affection for his coworker only grew stronger, Nino needed an outlet for all that emotional energy. Someone to express it to when he couldn't tell the man himself. There were only a few people Nino trusted deeply in his life.

Shockingly, the man trying to get his toy poodle (dressed in a bumblebee costume) to stay still long enough for a smartphone photoshoot was one of them.

"Hana-chan! That's a good girl," Aiba cooed.

Nino tossed her a treat.

It was the late afternoon of one of his days off, and he'd promised Aiba some quality time together. Lately, that also meant catching up on the state of Nino's love life. The fact that he'd opened up about his crush at all was a good indicator it was getting serious. He wouldn't risk Aiba's endless text messages of over-enthusiastic romantic encouragement for just anyone.

"I'm looking for clues that he'd welcome a confession from me, but he can be hard to read," Nino explained to his friend.

Aiba laughed and replied, "Not like you make it easy either. If you just told him you liked him out of the blue, he'd probably think you were joking around."

It was a fair point. Nino would hope Jun recognized by now that Nino sincerely liked him, but the depth of that emotion was maybe not as obvious. Which was exactly the reason Nino was searching for advice.

Hana-chan seemed done with the informal photoshoot once the treats stopped coming, turning her head every time Aiba pointed the camera in her direction. Aiba let out a heavy sigh and pat her lightly on the butt. He put his phone back in his pocket and turned his attention to Nino once more.

"You know a lot about him by now, yeah? So use that! Ask him to do something you know he'd like. The worst he could say is no," he recommended.

Nino grabbed and squeaked one of Hana-chan's toys, then tossed it across the room for her to retrieve.

"His likes can be a little eccentric," Nino mused.

The only sound for a few moments after that was the scampering of Hana-chan's paws across the floor as Nino continued to engage her in play. He was distracted with that for a while, but as time ticked on and Aiba hadn't brought up a new topic of discussion, Nino looked back to his friend in curiosity.

Nino had known Aiba long enough to recognize when he was thinking too hard about something. His best friend had a nervous energy about him now, and a twinkle in his eye that suggested he knew he was about to make trouble for Nino. Aiba ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. When he still didn't speak after licking his lips, Nino snapped.

"Out with it already!"

"Okay okay," Aiba responded with a quick flail of his hands, "I've been listening to you talk about this guy for months, right? And everything you've said about him, it's like..."

Aiba trailed off unhelpfully. Nino groaned in frustration.

"You might as well just say it," Nino prompted.

"It sounds like he's a vampire, that's all I'm saying," Aiba finished in a rush. He shrugged his shoulders in an exaggerated fashion, as if that made what he'd said somehow less ridiculous. If he acknowledged it as weird, it didn't make it less weird.

"You're an idiot," Nino hissed.

Aiba, used to Nino's jabs by now, hardly flinched at the insult.

"I'm looking at the facts! He fits all the main criteria I know about vampires. He works at night, pretty much the exact hours he needs to avoid daylight. You said he hates garlic, that's totally a vampire thing. He likes a bunch of old stuff, right?"

Nino shook his head and responded, "He likes _vintage_ stuff. Majjun is just cool that way, it's like... how he's into fashion or whatever."

It was hard to believe he was even having this conversation. As if working at night made someone a vampire. Nino worked the same shift, and the last he'd checked, he wasn't thirsting for human blood.

"I don't think I've seen an unfashionable vampire before," Aiba mentioned with a tilt of his head.

"You haven't seen any at all! They aren't real!" Nino responded with mounting frustration.

"I've seen them in movies and stuff."

"So you've seen fictional characters based on things that don't exist."

Aiba didn't seem inclined to continue with his theory when met with Nino's fierce resistance. He kept laughing at Nino's annoyance, but moved on from proving the existence of vampires to investigating what in his fridge could make a decent meal.

Later that evening, curled up together with Hana-chan and Aiba on the sofa watching TV, the subject returned unexpectedly.

"You should ask him who his favorite superhero is," Aiba suggested.

"Why?" Nino asked incredulously.

"Well, if it's Batman..." he responded, implying the rest with his fit of giggles.

"Why am I friends with you? What did I do wrong in my life?" Nino questioned aloud, but he only snuggled closer.

Two days later, Nino bit his lip and cracked his knuckles, staring at his computer screen blankly in discomfort. After a few more moments of internal struggle, he clicked into his work chat with Jun.

**_Who's your favorite superhero?_ **

**Captain America**

**_Just checking._ **

**???**

Not that it mattered or meant anything to Nino. Not at all.

Nino had to admit it was a little suspicious when Jun mysteriously got out of attending the company outing. No matter how good an employee's work record was, he doubted anyone got out of attending the annual work outing without a damn good excuse.

"I have a thing that day," Jun had said. No details. No remorse.

Or at least not enough remorse to show up himself, but apparently sufficient guilt to send a representative in his place. The man was Nino's size with a round face and a somewhat spacey disposition. He'd arrived in full fishing gear for their riverside barbecue, simply announcing himself as Ohno Satoshi.

Nino would be lying if he said there wasn't a small bit of jealousy in the pit of his stomach. The relationship between Jun and his stand-in wasn't exactly clear. Not to mention, if he'd known that placeholders were allowed, Nino would have definitely tricked Aiba into coming and stayed home too.

"Sho-chan, you shouldn't be giving employees special treatment like this," Nino complained when he had his boss alone.

"Like what? Telling them about a job opportunity at the company? Letting them call me Sho-chan?" Sho replied pointedly, flashing Nino his highly amused grin.

Nino wouldn't take the bait. He answered, "You know what I mean. How are we supposed to bond as a team if we can't trust everyone to be here?"

Not that he _wanted_ Jun to be in trouble, of course. He could admit he was acting more out of disappointment than anything. He'd really hoped Sho would pull rank and Jun would be forced to come. Then Nino would have gotten to see him in his casual wear, beautiful in nature. What else was there to look at out here?

Sho frowned, seeming to take in Nino's words as he began pulling various frozen meats out of a big cooler. Nino decided he could at least help a little, grabbing a knife to start chopping vegetables.

"The only person more upset than you is Matsumoto-san," Sho told him, "He was reluctant to miss this today. All I heard is that it's a medical reason and neither of us can know more than that."

Oh.

Well, Nino understood whatever level of closeness he'd reached with Jun, it wasn't the share your medical secrets stage yet. He stopped pestering Sho after that, focusing on meal prep and telling himself there was no reason to worry about Jun's health.

Although he'd considered finding an excuse to leave early, Nino figured it wouldn't hurt to take advantage of being out and about for once. The barbecue was delicious, the weather wasn't too unbearable, and he'd picked up on some good daytime office gossip to bring back to Jun.

Nino may not have been used to the outdoors, but he wasn't about to be terrible company. He sipped at his beer, made small talk with coworkers he rarely saw, and was glad he'd remembered to bring a deck of cards with him. Nino was sure he could wow the group with a trick or two later.

For now he was participating in Sho's bonding exercise, which involved the gathered employees going around in a circle and saying a kind thing about the person on their left.

"Eikura-san has an amazing work ethic. I only know her because she stays late enough that she's still there sometimes when I start my shift. She'd never leave anything unfinished, except maybe a beer," Nino joked on his turn.

"I'm drinking, I'm drinking," she promised with an airy laugh, waving him off playfully.

It was a little unfortunate that the person on Nino's right was someone he'd only just met today. If it had been Jun, instead of his substitute, he might have been able to gain some insight from whatever Jun's compliment for him had been. He fully anticipated his turn being skipped, or maybe Sho asking the person to Ohno's right to step in. Instead, Sho surprised Nino by addressing Ohno directly.

"Think you could answer for Matsumoto-san?" Sho asked with a chuckle. It was obvious from his impish expression that he didn't think Ohno would have any answer prepared.

"He likes Nino's neck," Ohno stated boldly.

Nino could feel himself turning red from more than just the sun beating down on his pale skin. He unconsciously lifted a hand to his neck, letting his fingers slip to his collarbone as he took this information in. Sho looked like he was torn between being entertained and scandalized. Ohno appeared pleased with himself.

"Sorry," Ohno continued with a shake of his head, "I mean he likes that Nino sticks his neck out. He doesn't seem to be a team player, at first, but at the end of the day he's willing to be the one to speak up for his coworkers and give his opinions honestly. That's what he said, I think."

It was the most words Ohno had spoken since his strange arrival.

"I think I'll go fishing now," he announced finally, sending Nino a mischievous look.

He left the chaos he'd created in Nino's mind and heart in his wake.

**Sho-san is still here and he's looking for the report you owe him.**

**_Hello to you too, MJ~_ **

Nino had barely set his things down when the message popped up on the screen. It would have been nice to take a few moments and settle in, but he wasn't about to push his luck. Even so, it would take a minute for his file to print.

**_Ohno-san wouldn't give me his number. Rude. You could have sent someone who would like me more._ **

**He liked you. He just doesn't give out his contact info much. I thought you two would get along.**

**_Why?_ **

**You both get a kick out of torturing me.**

**_I can't help that I'm good at it._ **

**You sure are.**

Nino took in a deep breath and let the air escape slowly, willing himself not to think on that too hard. Not everything had a hidden meaning. It was possible the charged atmosphere was one entirely in his head. Jun was wearing his glasses today. That always got Nino a little more excited than usual.

He left the chat, not wanting to make Sho wait any longer.

His boss insisted on going over the report together in detail, even though he could have read it and sent Nino an email about it later. Nino admired Sho's diligence most of the time, but it was a Monday. Nobody wanted to dive head first into analysis on a Monday. It was the end of the day for Sho, maybe, but Nino had only recently finished breakfast.

Nino's irritation only grew as his phone notification went off several times in a row in his pocket, not with an emergency, but with several messages from Aiba that only contained memes. He'd apologized to Sho for not having set it to vibrate yet.

When he was finally free to leave, he wanted nothing more than to seek comfort from Jun, who was usually good at supporting him with snarky commentary.

Returning from Sho's office brought him around the opposite corner than his usual path to Jun's desk, and though he didn't mean to scare Jun by approaching him from behind, he soon realized his mistake.

"I know he's my friend, not just my boss-" Nino started to grumble, but was quickly cut off by his coworker's reaction.

Jun immediately jolted in alarm at the sound of Nino's voice, spilling some of the red beverage he'd been consuming down the front of his shirt.

Nino burst into laughter as Jun frantically searched for something to dab on the spill, though he quieted as he noticed the truly panicked look in the man's eyes.

"Let's go to the bathroom? A little soap and water on that before it stains?" Nino offered.

"Don't follow me."

There was frustration in Jun's voice when he brushed past Nino brusquely, and something else in his tone that Nino couldn't quite make out. He nearly thought to ignore Jun's warning and follow him anyway, concerned about his well-being, but he stopped himself. Nino didn't want to annoy the man further and send them into a competition for who could be more of a grumpy ass.

His eyes wandered to Jun's abandoned cup of thick, red liquid. The eerie silence of the office with Jun gone only made it easier for Nino to let the past few months of signals replay sharply through his mind. Yes, he had his list of wonderful and overwhelming Jun traits that he cherished.

But he also had that list that Aiba had started the other afternoon.

Jun worked the night shift. He didn't like garlic. He listened to older music, had an interest in vintage clothes and antique items. He made a habit of avoiding the daylight, sending strangers to outdoor work events and sleeping in the company basement. He imbibed mysterious red beverages when he thought no one was watching. Recited dialogue from foreign movies to himself for practice purposes. Was, of course, a little dramatic.

It was, in retrospect, pretty obvious what was going on here.

Nino slapped a hand over his mouth to hide the giddy thrill it sent through him.

Oh Jun.

"OJunJunJun," Nino practically purred.

They were about to reach the end of their shift together, and though Jun still looked a little peeved about the incident earlier in the evening, Nino was feeling like he could push through that mood.

"It makes sense to me now. Why you haven't really had many relationships," he continued casually, not wanting to scare Jun off by making the conversation sound too heavy or serious.

It might have even come across as rude, had Jun not openly shared that information with him before now. Nino could be sharp-tongued, but he wasn't without some tact.

Jun, to Nino's relief, seemed to take it in stride. He adjusted his glasses before saying, "Good. Then one of us does."

Nino smirked at that and lightly kicked at the base of Jun's office chair. There was more than one way to proceed here. He could tease and ask ' _Don't you want to know what I think?_ ', though Jun was sure to tell him he couldn't care less. Nino could also play a long game, turn and walk away now and leave Jun to ponder it for the next few days until he couldn't stand his curiosity anymore and begrudgingly asked Nino to fill him in.

But there was a heat beneath Nino's skin tonight, an itch that he just had to scratch. The person he'd worked up in trying to get Jun's attention was really _himself_ , and he wasn't sure he could wait much longer to know Jun more thoroughly.

So.

He pushed off the desk and leaned forward, one arm draped over the back of Jun's chair and the other settled on Jun's shoulder. He was close enough to smell Jun's cologne, close enough to get called to HR tomorrow if he'd read this wrong to be honest, and it made him fearful to continue. Nino closed his eyes, swallowed his nerves, and brought his lips to Jun's ear.

"I know your secret, Jun-kun, and I want you."

He heard Jun's sharp intake of breath, uncertain of what that meant.

If he laughed and stepped back, was there still a way to play this off as a joke? Nino searched his mind for anything ridiculous to pin on him. Hogging all the pink highlighters made him a selfish boyfriend? He was still in the process of coming up painfully short when he felt the nose brush against his neck.

Jun hummed before saying softly, "Come home with me."

Fuck.

"Yes."

Nino didn't have much of a chance to take in Jun's apartment. He'd not been the only one pining, apparently, and neither one of them were inclined to waste precious time with a tour of the place. He did manage to catch a few key things of interest on the way to the bedroom. The extensive manga collection on the living room shelf was worth looking into later, for example. He also spotted more than one blanket stylishly tossed over furniture. Matsumoto Jun! Did he even get chilly at home?

They managed to break apart long enough to shower separately. As much as Nino wanted to explore every inch of Jun's body, he knew there would be an opportunity for that soon enough in bed. If they'd attempted to go in together, Nino would have failed to focus on actually getting clean.

Any stress or frustration of the day washed off and behind him, Nino felt amazing as he made his way back to Jun's side.

"I'm gonna kiss you," Nino told him.

"Please," Jun encouraged.

Nino wrapped his arms around Jun's waist as their mouths met fervently. Though the desire was palpable between them, the momentum building felt achingly fragile. Nino was glad for something to hold onto.

It was easy for Jun to dominate when they were in this position. He had the muscles, for one thing, and stood taller than Nino too. He was also an eager kisser. Nino liked that Jun seemed to know exactly what he wanted from Nino's lips and tongue, chasing after it without hesitation.

Once they were horizontal, however, Nino was happy to have more control. Each time he'd pictured them together this way it was with Jun at his mercy. After all, Nino was already so good at pushing Jun's buttons. How great would it be to drive him mad with pleasure?

He could see out of the corner of his eye that Jun had collected some necessary items for them, within reach on the nightstand. He'd get to that shortly. Nino slotted himself between Jun's legs, focusing first on letting his hands and lips travel Jun's beautiful body.

"I can't wait to taste you," Jun murmured beneath him.

Nino loved the idea of that. Jun's mouth around his cock while he ran his fingers through Jun's soft hair. He could probably get a grip of it if he wasn't too rough. Show Jun exactly what would get him hard and--

Wait.

Nino tensed as he felt two extremely sharp pin pricks beneath his jaw. He shuddered as the sensation traveled down the side of his neck, lightly scraping along his skin. Jun's mouth was... Jun somehow...

Confused and thrown out of his lustful daze, Nino pulled back to see how Jun was doing that. His eyes widened as he took in the sight in front of him, what looked like two clear fangs extending out past the rest of Jun's teeth.

"What the hell!?" Nino shouted, instinctively pushing himself backward.

"Sorry, Kazu, I didn't mean to scare you," Jun apologized instantly, "I was so happy you were okay with me being a vampire I didn't really ease you into it like I should have."

Nino's head was spinning with this new information. What's worse, he was suddenly very much aware that he was naked during this revelation. Naked and completely floored because surely this wasn't actually happening?

"I don't bite without consent," Jun added, clearly thinking that it would bring Nino comfort.

Nino was too lost in awe to be reassured.

"You're a _vampire_?" he finally whimpered in dismay.

Jun's eyes searched his pleadingly, looking more and more distressed when Nino gave no indication he was pulling a prank.

"You said you knew! You made it seem like... I know how smart and observant you are, I just assumed it had clicked already," Jun sputtered in shock and embarrassment.

"I thought you were a _cosplayer_ ," Nino cried out, rubbing at his face in disbelief, "A method actor, probably, definitely a big nerd. I didn't think you were going to actually try and eat me!!"

Jun scoffed, looking a little offended then.

"I'm _not_ going to eat you."

"You know what I meant!"

Nino was dizzy with the speed of his heart racing in his chest, the blood rushing to his ears. Why, in a million years, would he have ever guessed that the man he had a huge crush on was a creature from a fantasy novel? He wasn't sure he believed it now, even with the fangs he'd so clearly seen and felt at his pulse. Cosmetic dental surgery was a thing, right?

Somehow, in spite of how absolutely insane and surreal this all was, Nino's fight or flight response hadn't kicked in for him to run. Nino wasn't brave. Not at all. He was the first to admit he was a coward about most things, and still he didn't move.

Maybe it was the pain he could see starting to shine behind Jun's eyes that kept him glued to the edge of the bed.

"You don't want to hurt me," Nino whispered.

It surprised him that it came out as a statement, not a question.

Jun's expression softened, though he looked almost defeated now. Nino hated that this was the vulnerable position he'd put Jun in tonight. It was so far from what he'd intended when he'd followed Jun home.

"Of course I don't, but this is obviously not what you were expecting at all. I think we should just call it a night," Jun said decidedly.

Nino found himself more terrified of leaving here with everything tense and unresolved than of staying and discovering more about Jun. Something inside him knew that if he left here now, with things like this, there would be no patching it up later.

"I haven't changed my mind!" Nino blurted out.

"Are you serious right now? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Jun replied with a shake of his head.

He'd seen a vampire, actually, but Nino wasn't foolish enough to voice that aloud.

Jun moved as if he was going to get up, but Nino scrambled forward and gently pushed him back against the pillows.

"Just give me a minute!" he begged, trying to communicate with the tips of his fingers, lovingly brushing them along Jun's chest and shoulders. "I'm not asking you to sleep with me right now, but let me... think."

Jun looked skeptical, but calm, and eventually nodded in understanding.

Nino tried to shake free of his own amazement and put himself in Jun's position. How awful he'd feel if he'd been the one to cause someone in bed with him to cry out in fear. There was nothing about Jun that made Nino feel as if he'd been tricked or mistreated. Jun had trusted Nino intimately, with his secret and his heart. He wasn't completely convinced he hadn't bumped his head, and that this wasn't a work of fiction he'd stumbled into accidentally. But in spite of that, Nino wanted Jun in his life. Badly.

He couldn't undo what had happened, but he desperately needed to move them forward.

"I misunderstood a big thing about you, that's true, but I didn't fall for you because I thought you were a cosplayer. It had nothing to do with what you are, it's _who_ you are that makes me like you," Nino processed aloud, "And you haven't stopped being you in the last five minutes."

Jun considered Nino carefully. Nino burned under the heat of his gaze.

What if he'd messed this up too horribly? What if things ended right here and now?

"It was my mistake too. I heard what I wanted to and I let myself get carried away because it's been so long since I've liked someone so much," Jun confessed quietly.

Nino couldn't help but light up at that news. It had been implied, maybe, but to hear it spoken filled him with undeniable warmth. Nino reached for Jun's hand, relieved when Jun let him take it. They liked each other.

And Jun possibly wanted to drink some of his blood, with Nino's permission. Which. After he took some time to let the idea simmer, maybe Nino wouldn't mind so much. He didn't have to know today.

"So there are some things to work out. I have a lot of questions. But I'm here, and I'd like to stay here. If you'll have me," Nino proposed.

Jun squeezed Nino's hand before agreeing, "You can stay. I'd like that. But let's put our clothes back on?"

Nino finally relaxed, chuckling at how awkward this had all become. As happy as he was that he and Jun had ended up on the same page, this was far more exposure than either of them had intended.

"Mnn, at least pants? You could keep your shirt off, I wouldn't mind," Nino joked.

The smack Jun landed on the top of his head was worth it. Especially with the kiss of apology that quickly followed.

It was two in the afternoon, long after a more in-depth conversation and far into his remarkably peaceful sleep with Jun, when Nino's eyes flashed open in sudden realization.

Aiba was right.

"I'm never gonna tell him," Nino vowed softly.

He sighed and hugged Jun a little tighter before drifting back into contented slumber.

**Author's Note:**

> It was such a delight to write for NinoEx for the final time! I will miss the exchange and all the wonderful stories we got from it over a decade. I also want to thank my recipient for the fun prompt. <3 Thanks Arashi fandom for all the happy memories.
> 
> A small note - the Brad Pitt / Tom Cruise movie mentioned in this fic is Interview with the Vampire ;)


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